WASHINGTON UPDATE 07/20/2015

July 20, 2015 | Permalink Media Censors Sensibilities on Planned Parenthood If you tuned into the Sunday talk shows hoping for the latest on the Planned Parenthood scandal, chances are you were disappointed. The major networks decided they had better things to talk about than a taxpayer-funded abortion business hawking baby parts for money. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN ignored the story altogether, leaving only "Fox News Sunday" to let Americans know what was being done to hold the recipient of a half-billion tax dollars a year accountable. So much for the media's saying, "if it bleeds, it leads," U.S. News & World Report's Peter Roff wrote. When the video of the group's senior medical director was released last week, most outlets had to be dragged kicking and screaming to cover it. Even when they did, Roff pointed out, "the story was about the politics, the reaction, the vague possibility it might be true rather than the damning allegations that had been made." As with Kermit Gosnell -- whose baby butchery was rooted in the same profound disregard for humanity -- the swell of online outrage finally forced the media's hand. In Planned Parenthood's case, the fallout for President Obama's closest ally has only just begun -- and it will continue whether the media chooses to report it or not. In Arizona, Iowa, and New York, more Republicans are turning up the heat on Richards's group, demanding their own investigations into dark world of baby organ harvesting that six states have already launched. Other state leaders are following in FRC Action's footsteps, urging Democrats to return the tens of thousands of dollars of tainted money from Planned Parenthood's PAC. More than $586,000 went to the campaigns of House and Senate Democrats last year -- and until Congress knows the full extent of the organization's parts-for-profits ring, every politician should want to distance themselves from what that money represents. Of course, taxpayers have been trying for years to distance themselves from Planned Parenthood -- to no avail. Instead, the President's obsession with Richards's group has only intensified, so much so that in 2011, the White House was willing to shut down the entire government just to keep the government's funding stream to Planned Parenthood intact! This administration has made it clear that nothing -- not fraud, corruption, criminal cover-ups, lying, records falsifying, or the retailing of human remains -- will get in the way of its defense of Planned Parenthood. As I said on Saturday at Iowa's Family Leadership Summit, Republicans should immediately pass a moratorium on taxpayer funding to the billion-dollar abortion giant that derives nearly half of its money from Americans. If the President wants to shut the government down over an organization that may be trafficking in the body parts of babies, let him stand before the American people and say so! On this, we even have the Associated Press's support. "Regardless of what you think about Planned Parenthood," Julie Pace argues, "we shouldn't have people's tax dollars being sent to this organization. It's controversial, and it's a form of kind of cultural cronyism for a bunch of bureaucrats and politicians in Washington to force taxpayer dollars to go into an organization that's controversial." If Planned Parenthood's work is as vital as liberals insist it is, someone will step in and fund it. For now, an abortion business with a billion-dollar profit doesn't need -- and more importantly, doesn't deserve -- taxpayers' support. Sign our petition telling Congress exactly that. Then, click on the video below to hear what else I had to say at Saturday's Summit. Is the Honeymoon over for Same-sex "Marriage"? When the White House turned on the rainbow lights, they flipped a switch on American opinion too. In the brief few weeks since the Supreme Court's marriage decision, people are showing greater resistance to issue in the latest polls. Support for court-created same-sex "marriage" is tanking, much to the media's surprise. Of course, large majorities never wanted the justices to decide the issue in the first place. But the court's ruling, coupled with the appalling celebrations of most major news outlets, may be sparking the first real cultural backlash to the legalization of same-sex "marriage." After months of being force-fed propaganda, the media's one-sided coverage is starting to backfire, turning off a large swathe of the country who wrongly believed this was just about "love." "The world is spinning out of control, as some see it, and the media are redefining the rules," Howard Kurtz wrote for Fox News. "Most news organizations have so tilted their coverage in favor of the court's ruling that you might get the impression that only an extreme few think differently." In a revealing new AP survey, reporters were stunned to find that the country is more divided than ever on the question of same-sex "marriage," with support dropping to one of its lowest points in the last few years. As more pastors speak out forcefully about marriage, there seems to be a noticeable shift in how people view the issue. Only 42% told the AP they agree with the redefinition of marriage (compared to the 40% who oppose), down six percent from April. And while same-sex "marriage" may be losing ground, religious liberty is gaining it. As more people realize what's at stake, Americans are rallying to the defense of Christians like Kentucky county clerk Casey Davis. A clear majority thinks local officials shouldn't have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if it violates their faith -- a trend borne out in other new polls. Asked if "gay rights" should win out over religious liberty, 56% said no. By a 15-point margin, Americans think the government should prioritize religious freedom over the LGBT agenda. And if there's anything more unpopular than the Supreme Court's ruling, it's the justices themselves. According to the Washington Times, conservatives are fed up with Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author and decisive vote caster of the June 26 opinion. With an approval rating of 18%, Kennedy would have a tough time getting elected, which, ironically is a change that some Republicans are advocating. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who's chairing a hearing on the Supreme Court's activism this week, is just as disgruntled as the rest of the country about the lack of judicial restraint. One day soon, he'd like to see a constitutional amendment that subjects the Court to either term limits or judicial retention elections. Until then, there's only one election that can have a lasting impact on that debate: 2016's. A vote for President is a vote for the next Supreme Court justice. Do you know where your candidates stand? Porn, Abortion, and Sex Trafficking: The Missing Link Is there a connection between the pornography and sex trafficking industries? Research suggests there is: Pornography use has been shown to fuel the demand for sex trafficking. And what about the incidence of abortion in the sex trafficking industry? Join FRC's Director of the Center for Human Dignity, Arina Grossu, to learn more about the links between pornography, sex trafficking, and abortion this Wednesday, July 22 at noon. To watch in person or online, visit FRC.org to register. ** Tune in to Fox News's "Kelly File" tonight at 9:20 p.m. (ET) for more on FRC Action's call for Members of Congress to return any Planned Parenthood campaign contributions. *** Same-sex "marriage" will affect the pews before the pulpits, FRC's Peter Sprigg believes. Find out why in his new article for The Gospel Coalition. Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC Action senior writers.